17. Parker
Parker
Leah might pass out before she speaks. As if we didn’t just divulge our deepest secrets.
Somehow, in her mind, hers is bigger, scarier, more monumental.
Judging by how pale and clammy she is, her worries may be warranted.
One thing’s for certain, whatever she says, I’m in this.
Unless there’s a deadly ancient family curse or something.
Hell, at that point, I’ll accept my fate if it means we all get to die happy.
Shit, maybe I’m getting ahead of myself. Maybe she’s about to wreck us.
I inhale, holding for a second before I let out the heaviest breath of my life. Waiting for her to finish psyching herself up is torture.
“Y-you can t-tell us,” Grady says with a tenderness that makes my heart ache.
She pulls that beautifully kissable lower lip between her teeth and sighs. “I-It’s not that I don’t think I can. I just have… history.”
“Why?” He takes her hand.
Fuck, he’s got it just as bad as I do. The way his brows are pulled together, the fact that he’s talking. If she hurts him, I don’t know if he’ll survive. Her eyes glimmer as they meet Grady’s, drifting to me.
I offer the most tender smile I can muster. “Whatever it is, we’re here. Even if it means a life on the run.” My half-hearted chuckle falls flat.
She shakes her head. “It’s nothing dangerous or anything like that. It’s just… scary for me.” Her chest deflates as she lets out a hefty sigh. “I… I won the lottery back home in Mississippi.”
I blink rapidly, lips pursed. “That’s it? No bank robbing, no mafia, no life or death family curses?”
“What?!”
“Oh, we were just expecting something bad. That’s all. A lottery is nothing. Unless you have a gambling addiction or something? Do you need support to stay straight?” Damn it, I’m rambling, but there has to be a catch for her to be so terrified of us finding out.
“No,” she shuts down my absurd line of questioning.
“It’s just terrifying, okay? I’ve been a multi-millionaire in private for three years now.
Aside from buying Tally and getting some training, I mainly helped my family financially—paying off houses and vehicles, buying new clothes, the simple stuff.
I’m not a flashy person and don’t want to attract that type of man.
The ones I have been with since, well, they’ve all changed their tune as soon as they found out about my money.
I-I don’t want that with you. Either of you.
” Voice somber, eyes pooling with waiting tears, she sniffles and looks between us.
Fuck. If she cries, I’ll join her.
I clear my throat, fingers fidgeting in the blankets.
“Nothing will change, I promise. Well, Grady will stop avoiding you, but that’s about it.
We’re not here for your money, no matter how much there is.
We both had figured out you were definitely not poor, but that has nothing to do with our attraction to you.
You’re more than your money.” I take her hand and look into her damp eyes.
As her chin wobbles, my heart breaks. Someone hurt her, and she doesn’t need to explain that to me. When reluctant tears begin to fall, Grady surprises both of us by pulling her into his lap. She straddles him, sobbing freely into his shoulder.
“I’ve been so afraid to fall for either of you. I-I didn’t know anything about you, and then l-last night happened, and it was… special. I shouldn’t h-have.” Her body shakes as she lets out all of her troubles.
Unable to resist, I slide next to them, rubbing her back.
“You’re special, we’re lucky to share your air.
Grady has been avoiding you because he wants nothing more than what you’re giving him right now.
The same goes for me, but I haven’t had the opportunity to distance myself from you.
I’ve been so fucking miserable having you right there within arm’s reach every day.
And your fucking cooking has not helped. ”
Sobs slowing, she rests her cheek on Grady’s shoulder, nose red and puffy. As I brush tear-soaked hair out of her eyes, the hum that leaves her settles in my chest like a brick. Such a shame, this woman takes care of everyone else, but I’m getting the impression nobody ever looks out for her.
That changes now.
Giving her an easy smile, I continue, “Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining about the amazing food or spending time with you, but it makes me want that every day.
Every goddamned day, Leah. All of it. You, me, Grady, it just feels right.
So fucking right. Your crooked little smile, the way your nose crinkles when you’re being sassy, how you bounce on your toes when you’re excited.
You’re the brightest part of this whole fucking place.
If you spent every last dime you had to be here and were homeless, I’d smuggle you into my cabin, too.
” Words keep rushing out of my mouth as she stares, breathless and shaken.
Oh no, I’ve scared her off for sure.
“P-Parker.” Her teeth chatter as she fights to calm herself.
Grady readjusts, kissing her reddened cheek. “Y-you’re s-so much m-m-more than m-m-m-money. Perfect.”
She shrugs, wiping her face. “I’m not perfect. I’m just me.”
“Same th-thing.” A softness never before seen fills his face.
My hand glides down her arm. “Don’t you see how spectacular you are?
This little spitfire of a woman, standing up to Bridget Hart on behalf of a man who avoids you.
And now? He’s literally said more words to you than I’ve ever heard.
So, don’t think for a second that you mean nothing.
It’s been crazy for the last several weeks, and I know that’s not a long time, but when you meet the right people, your souls recognize each other.
” I softly press my lips to hers, tasting the saltiness of her tears and the rightness of us.
Grady is there as I pull away, claiming a tender kiss for himself, driving home the fact that she’s not alone. We’re not her past, but damn sure want to be her future.
Once they part, I take his jaw in my hand, bringing our mouths together. It’s chaste, but the message is clear, and by the look on Leah’s face, she understands. This is about us as a whole. Not me and her, nor her and Grady, or us without her. No. We’re all or nothing.
The lingering questions hiding under her micro-expressions have been answered. With that, she relaxes, stretching out across our laps. Sighing, content, she nuzzles into Grady’s chest. My fingers find her calves, kneading tender knots.
“How long do we have this hotel room? I don’t want to go back to that stuffy cabin any time soon.” She hisses as I massage a particularly tense spot.
“We have until tomorrow morning to check out. In the meantime, we can enjoy all this food.” I pick up my long-forgotten plate, swirling cold lo mein around my fork.
“Oh, I forgot!” She shoots up and practically leaps off the bed. “I made a huge mess, oh gosh.” Scooping rice and chicken off the floor, she wipes frantically with a napkin. “Do you think they’re going to charge us for carpet cleaning?”
She’s so frazzled, it’s unironically the most adorable thing I’ve ever witnessed. Grady is holding back a smirk next to me, clearly equally entertained.
“They won’t even notice, it’s nothing a vacuum won’t take care of. Come back to bed,” I plead, with a hint of humor slipping through.
She throws the food away, slipping into the bathroom to wash her hands. The five-minute break was apparently sobering. Standing next to the bed, she swallows hard.
Smoke nearly billows out of her ears while she processes her situation, our situation. “Have you two been this hot all along? You’re just sitting there like some sort of statuesque Gods. So unfair. I have belly rolls, and my thighs eat shorts for a living.”
Grady’s gaze falls to said thighs, eyes flaring with appreciation. A small lift of his brows says more than words ever could.
With a smirk, I motion for her to sit. “Do you think we give a shit about your tummy rolls?” I ask as she crawls between us.
“Well, no, I guess not.”
“You’ve never once acted insecure around either of us. Why now?” I get her settled, head in my lap, and Grady lays her legs across his.
“Well, gee, I don’t know. Until last night, I didn’t think either of you wanted to fuck me,” she fires back, voice elevated but not overtly angry. Deflection at its finest.
Grady titters, trailing his hand up to her hip. “Sassy.”
“I’m just processing. Are we literally doing this?” She scrunches her brows, looking up at me.
“That’s the plan. If you’re not on board, speak now.” I run my fingers through her hair while Grady’s fingertips glide down the outside of her thigh.
“I… of course I am.”
“You sure about that?” I ask, tilting my head.
“Yes. But what does that look like? I mean, are you two going to be a thing, too?”
“Well, I did give Grady head this morning after you left.”
She gasps, face filled with giddy shock. “That’s so hot! I can’t believe I missed it! I’ve always wanted boyfriends who are boyfriends. It’s the dream.”
“Well, that’s settled then, but there are some other things we need to talk about. Ground rules, if you will. We can’t go parading around Hartbrook putting our business on display. It would not end well.” I look to Grady and try to hide my sadness.
His whole life, forced to hide his imperfections, and now that he has something exciting and positive, he has to hide that, too.
“If news gets back to Henrietta, she’ll probably lock Grady away somewhere, or kick you out. The same goes for Bridget. She still needs to think I’m hers to fawn all over. And then there’s the cousins… They’re lingering. I don’t trust it.”
Leah stiffens. “You’re not going to humor Bridget’s obsession, are you? Why can’t you tell her to eat shit?”
My words clearly hit a nerve, but she needs to hear them. They both do.
“It’s not that simple. I only have a job there because Bridget wants me. Henrietta doesn’t give a shit about me, or my progressive training styles.”
“Which are freaking genius, by the way,” she speaks up with a half-smile. “Did you see us out there today? I couldn’t have done it if not for you.”
Grady nods in agreement, hands moving to her calves.
“God, that feels good. You have bear paws, and they’re like heating pads.” She lets a soft moan out, one of pure bliss.
“Back on track.” I scratch gently at her scalp. She closes her eyes and hums. “For the time being, until we’re in a position to get out of Hartbrook, we have to be discreet. One slip-up, and everything comes crashing down. And we can’t just pack up and leave, there’s nowhere for us to go.”
“What could she possibly do to keep Grady away? She’s not a warden, he’s not her prisoner.”
“No, but without her financial support, he’s screwed. And neither of us could help, or we’d also be tossed out. It’s a shitty situation all around, but if we’re careful and patient, it’ll all be worth it once you qualify. Then we can worry about where we settle.”
“Qu-qualify?” Grady asks, the meaning behind his question abundantly clear.
The disappointment in his face, how much it’s going to hurt him to keep this secret, screams through his silence.
Who could blame him? It’s a long time to be with someone and not actually be able to express it, at least not in public.
I’ve had secret girlfriends in the past. They never last more than a month or two because it is hard.
But this one? I want to last forever, so if six to twelve months of secrecy is the cost, so be it.
“We can still get together at my cabin, and we can still go on lunch dates at Carrie’s, we just have to be discreet.
No affection in the open, keep the ‘fuck me’ eyes under lock and key, it’s not that hard.
A lot of our alone time is in private anyway, and Carrie’s is a hole-in-the-wall.
We sit at the far booth anyway. It won’t be much different than before.
” Even as I say the words, I know they’re bullshit.
It’s not the same, it’ll never be that way again, especially for the smitten man at my side.
His face doesn’t lie, he’s head over heels for both of us.
His free hand has found its way around my back, and he pulls me close.
Leah shifts slightly as I lean, and before I know it, Grady has pulled my mouth to his.
We share a soft, but possessive kiss, tongues tangling as his chest rumbles—the message unmistakable.
He doesn’t care about discretion, he wants to be free, which simply cannot happen right now.
There’s no time to find a place for all of us to go and see Leah’s Olympic qualification through.
No amount of money could make a brand new facility appear overnight.
We separate and I’m breathless, leaning my cheek against his shoulder.
“I’m not sure the cousins are that bad.” Leah chews her lip, ruining my basking. “They’re hiding something, though. That much I agree with.”
I scoff. “We’ll see. As long as they keep their mouths shut.”
“They did apologize. It seems to be genuine, all things considered. I don’t think they’re an immediate threat.”
Grady shrugs like he is unbothered, and I suppose that is enough for me.
I lean back into the pillows and sigh. “Fine, but we should still keep our distance. I know you’ve enjoyed hanging out with them, and I’m not going to be a dick and tell you to stop. Just, please be careful going forward.”
“Okay,” she says around a yawn, repositioning to curl against Grady.
This is doomed to fail, probably sooner rather than later. But in the meantime, my heart is full.